Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Boomer’s suitors: Europe and MLS

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.

It was Halloween afternoon, and the final seconds of Boomer Arbelaez's final game at UNLV were rapidly ticking away in a hard-fought 0-0 game against San Jose State. So it was time for a special player to make a special play.

Arbelaez, the best soccer player in Rebels history, summoned a last burst of energy and sprinted up the left side of the pitch from his usual spot in midfield. His pace, according to onlookers, seemed to catch the Spartans by surprise.

A teammate drove the ball into the 18-yard box where an unmarked Arbelaez ran onto it, crashing a drive just beyond the reach of the SJSU 'keeper and into the right corner of the net in the 89th minute.

Officially, the goal came at 89:59. There was one measly second remaining when Arbelaez ripped home the game-winner.

In soccer, unless your name is David Beckham and Victoria Adams (aka Posh Spice) is home whipping up fish and chips while you are off sipping pints with the lads, it simply doesn't get any better than that.

Or so Arbelaez thought, until last Friday morning. He was home, gathered around his computer with his family to follow the Major League Soccer Super Draft online when he received a text message from his agent, telling him he had been selected in the third round (of four) by the San Jose Earthquakes.

A few seconds later, his name flashed on the computer screen. It was official: Arbelaez became the 30th player picked in the draft and the first from UNLV to ever be selected.

Ain't that a kick in the ... well, choose your favorite body part.

"A lot of people here have been telling me I opened the door for a lot of people," Arbelaez said as he gazed out on Peter Johann Field on the UNLV campus on a glorious Tuesday afternoon. He was sitting in the tiny aluminum bleachers, soaking up the sun just about 30 yards from where he kicked San Jose State in the ... well, choose your favorite body part.

"I found out I was the first kid from Vegas to go in the MLS draft and go pro in soccer. Also, I'm the first professional soccer player to come out of Bishop Gorman and the first Rebel to ever be in the MLS. It's just overwhelming to hear all that stuff."

And it gets better.

Nothing against the MLS, but in four days he leaves for Europe, where they play real football, which is what soccer is called everywhere else except here and maybe Canada.

Arbelaez has tryouts with Anderlecht, one of the best sides in Belgium's top pro league, and VfB Stuttgart, a championship contender in the famous Bundesliga, which in German roughly means "damned good soccer."

"The transfer window closes on the 31st of January," Arbelaez said of becoming a midseason addition overseas. "I'm sure they'll let me know right away if they want me to stay or not. So if it doesn't work out, I'll just come back here and sign with the Earthquakes."

Which, he said, wouldn't exactly be a terrible thing, even if pro soccer is still a niche sport on this side of the pond.

"The money's quite a bit better (in Europe) -- not to say that that would be my deciding factor," Arbelaez said, adding that his father has encouraged him to pursue the opportunities in soccer-crazed Europe.

And in this case, father certainly knows best. Arbelaez's dad is Victor Arbelaez, the longtime Bishop Gorman coach who, along with UNLV coach Barry Barto, have seemingly been around longer than the corner kick.

Victor Arbelaez starred on the 1975 NCAA national championship team at San Francisco and went on to play in the North American Soccer League, finishing his career with the short-lived Las Vegas Quicksilver.

Trivia buffs may recall that only one goal was scored in the great Pele's farewell trip to Las Vegas -- and it didn't come off the boot of the living legend. Arbelaez, a winger during his pro career, tallied the winning goal in Las Vegas' 1-0 victory over Pele's New York Cosmos.

Boomer Arbelaez, who is 10 credits shy of a degree in chemistry and wants to become a dentist after he's through playing soccer, said he never saw his dad play. Fox Sports World didn't exist in those days.

The two have been through a lot together, such as Boomer's failed attempt to follow in his old man's footsteps at San Francisco -- the younger Arbelaez returned home after his freshman year following a coaching change at USF -- and Victor's battle with throat cancer in 2002, which he has beaten with radiation treatments.

"He's like, try it in Europe and see how it goes and whatever happens, happens," Boomer said. "He said I can always fall back on the Earthquakes. He's just glad I got drafted. He's been training me for as long as I can remember and pushed me to get where I am today."

And that's a pretty good place to be. During our conversation, the personable Arbelaez never stopped smiling as he rehashed the events of the past 72 hours and looked for a new place to pinch himself.

As we shook hands and I wished him well, two female admirers rolled up in a car to do the same.

While I don't think they were Spice Girls, they were still pretty darned cute.

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